When close to half the companies in India have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") below 25x, you may consider Kalyan Jewellers India Limited (NSE:KALYANKJIL) as a stock to avoid entirely with its 52.7x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's so lofty.
Recent times have been advantageous for Kalyan Jewellers India as its earnings have been rising faster than most other companies. It seems that many are expecting the strong earnings performance to persist, which has raised the P/E. You'd really hope so, otherwise you're paying a pretty hefty price for no particular reason.
View our latest analysis for Kalyan Jewellers India
The only time you'd be truly comfortable seeing a P/E as steep as Kalyan Jewellers India's is when the company's growth is on track to outshine the market decidedly.
If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a terrific increase of 48%. The latest three year period has also seen an excellent 121% overall rise in EPS, aided by its short-term performance. So we can start by confirming that the company has done a great job of growing earnings over that time.
Looking ahead now, EPS is anticipated to climb by 24% per annum during the coming three years according to the nine analysts following the company. Meanwhile, the rest of the market is forecast to only expand by 20% per annum, which is noticeably less attractive.
In light of this, it's understandable that Kalyan Jewellers India's P/E sits above the majority of other companies. Apparently shareholders aren't keen to offload something that is potentially eyeing a more prosperous future.
Generally, our preference is to limit the use of the price-to-earnings ratio to establishing what the market thinks about the overall health of a company.
As we suspected, our examination of Kalyan Jewellers India's analyst forecasts revealed that its superior earnings outlook is contributing to its high P/E. Right now shareholders are comfortable with the P/E as they are quite confident future earnings aren't under threat. It's hard to see the share price falling strongly in the near future under these circumstances.
Before you take the next step, you should know about the 1 warning sign for Kalyan Jewellers India that we have uncovered.
If you're unsure about the strength of Kalyan Jewellers India's business, why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals for some other companies you may have missed.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.